Preview: Ind v Pak – Asia Cup, Match 5
First Published : 17 Mar 2012, 15:19
Last Modified : 17 Mar 2012, 15:21
What
The fifth match of the 2012 Asia Cup that features Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India play Pakistan in this top-billed encounter.
When
March 18, 2012. The game begins at 13:30 IST.
Where
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. With the four matches in this tournament so far having been won equally by teams batting first and second, Misbah-ul-Haq and MS Dhoni won’t have it easy at the toss. However, of the four teams playing in this competition, Pakistan boast the best record at this venue with a win percentage of 87.50 (seven wins out of eight games). That stat should give Misbah’s side the edge as they head into the contest.
The Teams
India’s quick bowlers are currently letting them down. Where Praveen Kumar and R Vinay Kumar conceded 102 runs for three wickets from 16 overs in their first match against Sri Lanka (economy-rate of 6.37), Irfan Pathan and Ashoke Dinda gave away a staggering 99 runs from 14.2 overs (economy-rate of 6.90) in the loss against Bangladesh while going wicketless. To make matters worse, Ravindra Jadeja’s indifferent form in both matches (10-0-63-1) as the fifth bowler has also hurt the Indians. One can expect the team management to change a few things around in view of the situation.
Pakistan are on a high having won both their league encounters. If their 21-run win against Bangladesh had critics doubting their ability, then their clinical six-wicket victory against Sri Lanka was enough proof of the team’s quality. They have won while batting first (against Bangladesh) and then beat Sri Lanka while restricting them to a below-par score of 188. Their batting looks a good mix of youth and experience while the bowlers can test the skills of any opposition batting line-up. Clearly, they are the team to beat this tournament.
Key Players
The last time Saeed Ajmal played against India, in the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup semi-final at Mohali, he tormented them. Although his figures in that game read 10-0-44-2, the Indians were outfoxed by the Pakistani offspinner’s guile and craft. Ajmal is also the leading wicket-taker in this tournament (joint highest with Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema) with five wickets from two matches at an impressive economy-rate of 3.85.
No Indian batsman has hurt the Pakistan side more in the last two decades than Sachin Tendulkar. Some of his performances against them have become an integral part of Tendulkar’s legend. Now, with his landmark 100th ton out of the way, Tendulkar, will be far more relaxed and eager to turn in another match-winning performance against Pakistan.
Trivia
India - In their two Asia Cup matches so far, India went into the Batting Powerplay having lost just one wicket (175/1 v Sri Lanka and 169/1 v Bangladesh), but managed to score only 34 runs in that period on both occasions.
Pakistan - The trio of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi has accounted for more than half of the wickets taken by Pakistan since January 2011, at an average of 23.04 and economy of 3.93.
Which team goes through to the final?
The competition currently stands wide open with all four teams having a chance of making it through to the final. Even if India beat Pakistan, they would want Sri Lanka to beat Bangladesh because if the hosts beat the Lankans, they will go through to the final by virtue of having won their game against India.
Similarly, if India lose, but Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh, India could still make it through to the final against Pakistan provided they have a better net run-rate compared to both Lanka and Bangladesh.
And while the above scenarios do not consider teams winning the last two league games with a bonus point, all four teams will still be in the reckoning for a place in the final if they do win with a bonus point. For example, If India beat Pakistan with a bonus point, and Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka with a bonus point, then the Lankans will exit the Asia Cup while the two teams with the best net run-rate between Pakistan, India and Bangladesh will qualify for the final on March 22.
Venue Stats
India – played – 13, won – 9, lost – 4, tied – 0, no result – 0
Pakistan – played – 8, won - 7, lost – 1, tied – 0, no result – 0
Highest total in an innings: India 370/4 in 50.0 overs v Bangladesh – February 19, 2011
Lowest total in an innings: Bangladesh 58 in 18.5 overs v West Indies – March 4, 2011
Best individual score in an innings: Shane Watson (Australia) – 185* v Bangladesh – April 11, 2011
Best bowling figures in an innings: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) 6.3-0-23-5 v Bangladesh – December 1, 2011
Average first innings score at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in ODIs:
In day/night matches: 241
In all matches: 223
Result summary at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in ODIs:
|
Type |
No. of matches |
Won batting 1st |
Won batting 2nd |
Tied |
No result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Day-night matches |
30 |
11 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
|
Day matches |
29 |
14 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
Head-to-head
|
Matches |
Played |
Ind won |
Pak won |
Tied |
No result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
120 |
47 |
69 |
0 |
4 |
|
In Bangladesh |
8 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
At Shere Bangla National |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Last ODI meeting between India and Pakistan at Shere Bangla National Stadium: 14 Jun 2008 (Kitply Cup Final)
Brief scores: Pakistan 315-3 (50 overs) beat India 290 (48.2 overs) by 25 runs
Form guide in ODIs (most recent listed first):
India: Lost, Won, Won, Lost, Lost (2 wins, 3 losses)
Pakistan: Won, Won, Lost, Lost, Lost (2 wins, 3 losses)
The Squads
India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Virat Kohli (vc), R Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Rahul Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Tiwary, & R Vinay Kumar
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Younis Khan
All stats are as on March 17, 2012
